Manufacture of antimony trifluorodichloride



Patented Nov. l4, 1933 UNITED STATES.

MANUFACTURE OF ANTIMONY TRIFLUORO- DICHLORIDE Robert Reed McNary, D Frigidaire Corporation ration of Ohio ayton, Ohio, assignor to Dayton, Ohio, a corpo- No Drawing. Application February 9, 1931 Serial No. 514,708

2 Claims.

This invention relates to chemistry and chemical processes, and.more particularly to the manufacture of antimony trifluorodichloride and its use as a catalytic agent in the manufacture of 5 halo-fluoro derivatives of aliphatic hydrocarbons.

The objects of my present invention are to produce SbFaClz and to use it as a catalytic agent in the fiuoration of halo derivatives of aliphatic hydrocarbons to produce a rapid and efiicient reaction.

This compound (SbFsClz) is prepared by allowing chlorine and antimony trifluoride to interact in a metal vessel kept at a temperature preferably above 70 C. After the reaction is initiated,

the heat evolved is sufficient to maintain the reacting mass at the proper temperature. The rate of reaction 'is' improved by stirring the mass. This has been done by revolving the antimony compound in a ball mill. The resulting antimony trifiuorodichloride is a viscous liquid which is easily poured out of the reaction vessel.

In the manufacture of halo-fluoro derivatives of aliphatic hydrocarbons with antimony trifiuoride as the fiuorating agent, I have found that the presence of small quantities of antimony trifiuorodichloride causes a more rapid and eflicient fiuoration. As a specific example, if in as I any of the usual methods of fiuorating carbon tetrachloride with antimony trifiuoride, I add to the reaction antimony trifluorodichloride in a proportion of about 2% of the weight of the antimony trifluoride present, the reaction proceeds 507 more rapidly and efliciently. The rapidity of the reaction may be controlled in part by the proportional quantity of the complex salt used as a catalyst and the amount of the complex salt employed may be varied according to the rate of reaction desired.

Halo-fluoro derivatives of,thealiphatic hydrocarbons such as derivatives of methane, ethane, ethylene, propane, .etc., are obtained in a similar way. Such fluoro'compounds as typified by the methane homologs include, for instance CHC1F2, CC12F2, C2C12F4, C2Fs, and CaHaFzBrs.

' Other fiuorating agents such' as lead fluoride; zinc fluoride may be used in place of the antimony trifiuoride as the fluorating agent.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A composition of matter having the formula SbFsClz.

2. The process which comprises interacting chlorine with antimony trifluoride to form a s SbFsCh. I

ROBERT REED MONARY. 

